Withering Pink
by Zenny-DoLL
Summary: Silver did not understand why Lyra sobbed harshly, yet never made a single sound. Not a sniffle, not even a whimper.  She suffered in utter silence.


**(A/N: I like Lyra and Silver, and I like the idea of your trainer being knocked off Mt. Silver during the battle against Red. Because you don't mess with Red.)**

Withering Pink

Small footsteps pattered ever so cautiously down the well-lit hospital hall.

A dim look of gray worn about the nurse's face, head facing towards the ground, sighing a sigh barely audible, cooling the stiff air as it escaped her pale lips.

Sitting on a small, cushioned bench, not so far away from the main desk, sat a slumped over girl, adolescent in age. Her body slumped over uncomfortably, amber hair covering the scratches and bruises on her face and head. Her shoulders were hunched over, and her arms looked stiff. Her legs were pressed together, and she faced a blank wall and nothing else; as if taking a punishment.

Standing next to her was a tall boy around the same age, a redhead with silver eyes and pale skin. He stood quietly, wearing a face of discontent, looking around the hospital, feeling a bit out of place standing so close to the girl.

The nurse's long locks of salmon hair bounced as she took a few steps behind the girl, before softly calling out, "Excuse me, miss."

The girl's seemingly lifeless body suddenly jerked in a swift motion, eyes wide with concern, and frantically asked, "How are they doing?"

"Most of your Pokemon have been stabilized." Nurse Joy gave a melancholy smile as if to try to reassure the girl, but the smile was quickly washed away with a frown.

"But…" She began, closing her eyes gently for a moment.

"Your azumarill is in very critical condition." She winced as she spoke; the words on her tongue stung like a beedrill's poison.

"She…she'll make it, right?" She stuttered, deep worry in her voice.

"Honestly, I really don't know. It doesn't look too good for her right now. She may not make it. I'm very sorry…" She said.

Nurse Joy had been previously informed of the girl's misfortune of battling a trainer atop Mount Silver. The trainer had beaten her, and the finishing blow to her Pokemon was so powerful that it knocked her and her azumarill off of the snowy mountain. The two tumbled downhill, being bruised and tattered along the way. The fact that they had even survived was a miracle. She sent azumarill to her pokeball, and her aching body limped until she finally reached the Pokecenter.

The center had been filled with trainers at the time. She wearily made it through the door with six pokeballs resting in her arms. After the door shut, she collapsed, and all the pokeballs scattered as they hit the floor.

Nurse Joy shrieked, and all the trainers stared wide-eyed at this girl who appeared to be quite injured. Joy rushed over to the girl, and carried her to the nearest bed and laid her down. She took all of her Pokemon into custody and quickly called an ambulance for her to be carried away to a hospital for people.

It was when Lyra awoke in another hospital, Nurse Joy at her side, that she told this tale to. Another nurse took over her shift at the time, and Joy sympathized with the young girl.

She seemed so sweet, Nurse Joy thought, and how awful and unfortunate it was that she and all her Pokemon were so severely injured.

Upon receiving the bad news that azumarill, Lyra's most beloved Pokemon and friend, may not survive, was heart-shattering. She turned away, looking down.

The nurse gave a final apology, and left, having to go back to her shift.

Silver stood, mouth parted slightly in surprise, agreeing that this news was indeed unfortunate. He turned and looked down upon Lyra, who's body was hunched up and more tense than ever, and sat miserably, completely oblivious now to Silver's presence, thoughts overwhelmed by the thought of her azumarill's life fading away.

Silver noticed this dramatic change of posture, how stiff she appeared, how ghostly her skin became, how her eyes darkened and shut, never wanting to open again until azumarill was by her side once more.

"Are…Are you going to be okay?" He asked.

Despite their rivalry, he felt common sympathy for her. He wasn't aware of what downfall she had, or how her Pokemon had gotten hurt in the first place, but he'd never seen such sadness in a person as he did in her, and it wasn't like her at all.

Lyra made no move, her head still bent over, locks of hair hiding her face, it was as if she hadn't even heard him.

Worried and confused by the lack of response, he took it upon himself to sit down next to her. He stared at her, trying to get a look at her face. She was quiet, very, very quiet, and all he could see, were her pink lips, trembling.

He didn't say anything, but kept looking at her. Her lips quivered, until he saw a single tear stream down her cheek. And that's when Silver realized that Lyra, this girl who he knew to be so powerful (seeing as he lost most of their battles), had finally reached her breaking point. Her head slung even lower, tears gushing out of her eyes, down her pale face, onto to her lap.

Quickly, but carefully, Silver scooted over closer to Lyra and put his arms to her waist, pulling her very close to him. He hugged and held her, even though the unusual gesture surprisingly piqued a dead response from the girl. Her head rested in his chest, and Silver let her sit and weep in his arms. He never expected he would be giving this kind of treatment to Lyra, who was supposed to be his rival. Silver wasn't supposed to have feelings for her, was he? He could make this an exception though, couldn't he?

He didn't understand. He was confused, and not understanding made him feel uneasy, almost afraid.

Silver did not understand why Lyra sobbed harshly, yet never made a single sound. Not a sniffle, not even a whimper.

She suffered in utter silence.

Silver felt his jacket becoming damp with the inflow of cascading tears. The droplets were heavy, and Silver grew feeling a bit awkward being in the position.

"…You're not okay." He said, wanting to break the strange silence between them.

No response, although he wasn't expecting one.

He sighed in slight distress before saying, "I'm sorry."

Silver didn't understand why her hands hugged themselves around him after he said that. They hung loosely around his torso; he could barely feel her embrace.

He _could_ feel her aching heart, however, and realized he couldn't leave her alone in this condition.

Patting her head, Silver said one more thing.

"I hope she's alright."

But the comfort was never enough.

**(A/N: I've revised this story several times already. I've changed names of characters and Pokemon and switched words around, so if you spot any errors I may have missed, please let me know.)**


End file.
